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July 31, 2011

G106: Red Sox 5, White Sox 3

Dustin Pedroia's two-run single in the seventh inning -- after one-out hits by Marco Scutaro and Jacobty Ellsbury, and a passed ball -- gave the Red Sox back the lead Andrew Miller (5.2-10-3-1-8, 106) had lost back in the third inning.

The Red Sox finished July with a record of 20-6 (since June 3, they are 36-14). With an overall record of 66-40 (and a two-game lead over the Yankees), they are on a 101-win pace.

Adrian Gonzalez's second double of the afternoon brought in an insurance run in the ninth. Jason Varitek clubbed a two-run homer in the second.

For the second start in a row, Miller was fortunate in stranding most of the base runners he allowed. Chicago left two men on base in both the first and third innings, and left the bases loaded in the fourth. But Miller was also fairly unlucky, as at least four White Sox hits were short flies/bloops that fell beyond the infield and in front of the outfielders. I'm more concerned that, in the future, when Miller allows nine men on base in the span of three innings (and you know he will), more than three of those guys will eventually score.

In his last 17 innings, Miller has allowed 22 hits, 17 walks, and 17 runs (opponents have battered him to the tune of a .961 OPS). Oddly, one of those four starts was 5.2 innings of shutout ball against Baltimore.

A win will give the Red Sox a 20-6 record in July, their first 20-win month since May 2007 (20-8). Before that, they won 20+ games in August 2004 (21-7). Boston was 19-10 in May of this year.

SoSHer: "Just now on MLBN, Bowa and the others couldn't comprehend Kuroda not wanting to be traded. "Must be a Japanese thing, not wanting to leave a team in the middle of the season" (not said in jest at all). What a bunch of morons."

AP, I think:"According to multiple reports, the Red Sox asked the Athletics for a clause built into the deal for Rich Harden contingent on the pitcher's health. Oakland refused to accept such a deal, which could have potentially eliminated the player to be named later and left it with just first baseman Lars Anderson in the trade."